I can finally talk about this, since it's been made official (aka I gave my notice at work). I have accepted a position with PETA!! I will be their new Advertising Manager. It's a new position, so I think it will be a great opportunity for me to help shape my role, but they of course also know where their needs are and what they'll need me to step in on.
I am SO excited about this. I can combine my knowledge and education in advertising with my absolute passion for animal advocacy. It's such a blessing. I also hope I can help some of my friends and family see that PETA is such a great organization that gives a voice to so many animals in need. Yes, they have some extreme viewpoints, but sometimes the quiet voice gets lost in the crowd.
It also means picking up my life in Minneapolis and moving it out to Washington DC! I am going to miss my friends and family here like crazy. (Although, I will be back for some weddings and the TLOV animal advocacy conference this summer!) But I am moving to a city that has plenty of other friends...and a little bit of family. A lot of my friends from Syracuse have settled in DC. And my brother and his fiance are living there, as well! I certainly won't be lonely. I've already gotten my friend Kristen to look at a few apartments for me...I'm hoping the place she's checking out today is the winner, as I'm running out of time!
I'm done at Carmichael Lynch (my current ad agency) on March 20th and am giving myself a week to move, then starting at PETA on March 30th. I will of course keep you up to date on the progress, but as of right now I have A LOT to get done. I'm still not over my illness, so it's been hard to get motivated. I'm hoping to make a lot of progress in the way of Salvation Army drop-offs this weekend. I want to use this opportunity as a chance to purge my life of some unnecessary belongings....especially clothes! And lighten my load for the drive across country. (Which reminds me, I still need to secure movers....ah!)
Anyhow, so that's my big news. Can't wait for all that is in store for me. :)
Showing posts with label TLOV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TLOV. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
COK 4-Ever
I am SUCH a big advocate of Compassion Over Killing (COK) and thrilled to see that they have again launched their TV spots on MTV. Let me tell you why I heart COK so much.
About a year and a half ago, one fall evening, I was watching TV at home with the two Boo Bears (Jakers & Mabel) and saw a short, maybe 30-second, TV spot on MTV. It was this little girl sitting at a table, about to enjoy breakfast, when a voiceover asks her if she knows where her food comes from and then shows behind-the-scenes footage of factory farms. (I just checked, and they are still using that spot! Watch it here!) It's like I had never thought too deeply about it to realize that the animals on our plate do not get to frolick freely in meadows or socialize as animals naturally do. I, as someone who worked in advertising and should know better, had bought into the "Happy Cows of CA" and "Milk, Does a Body Good" messages that were being thrust at me. I didn't think otuside that frame of reference to realize it was all an advertising ploy!
The end of the commercial has a web address for tryveg.com and since I was on my computer, I immediately went to the site and ordered a vegeterian starter kit.
I pretty much went veg from that night on (still eating seafood, though). Then, the following May (2008), I attended Their Lives,Our Voices, a conference held in Minneapolis to address animal advocacy issues. And one of the sessions I sat in was led by Erica Meier, Executive Director of COK and she talked about those TV spots and how they really are impacting peoples' lives. I felt kind of out of place the entire weekend, being new to the animal advocacy scene, but I knew it was a sign. During Q&A at the end, I raised my hand and told Erica that those ads are what brought me to that very conference that weekend...and how much they changed my life. I could feel tears prickling at my eyes, because it felt so good to be able to thank the person responsible for my life change.
And by the end of that weekend, I was fully dedicated to a vegan lifestyle and have never turned back!
I have since stayed in touch with Erica and think what she and her fellow COK'ers are doing is incredible. They have a tiny office and staff in DC - and the budget of a nonproft! - but create such powerful messages. They are doing so much in the fight for animals.
So that's why these ads mean so much to me. They opened my eyes to this cause that I am so passionate about. I hope you check out their website and, if you can, donate to their cause.
About a year and a half ago, one fall evening, I was watching TV at home with the two Boo Bears (Jakers & Mabel) and saw a short, maybe 30-second, TV spot on MTV. It was this little girl sitting at a table, about to enjoy breakfast, when a voiceover asks her if she knows where her food comes from and then shows behind-the-scenes footage of factory farms. (I just checked, and they are still using that spot! Watch it here!) It's like I had never thought too deeply about it to realize that the animals on our plate do not get to frolick freely in meadows or socialize as animals naturally do. I, as someone who worked in advertising and should know better, had bought into the "Happy Cows of CA" and "Milk, Does a Body Good" messages that were being thrust at me. I didn't think otuside that frame of reference to realize it was all an advertising ploy!
The end of the commercial has a web address for tryveg.com and since I was on my computer, I immediately went to the site and ordered a vegeterian starter kit.
I pretty much went veg from that night on (still eating seafood, though). Then, the following May (2008), I attended Their Lives,Our Voices, a conference held in Minneapolis to address animal advocacy issues. And one of the sessions I sat in was led by Erica Meier, Executive Director of COK and she talked about those TV spots and how they really are impacting peoples' lives. I felt kind of out of place the entire weekend, being new to the animal advocacy scene, but I knew it was a sign. During Q&A at the end, I raised my hand and told Erica that those ads are what brought me to that very conference that weekend...and how much they changed my life. I could feel tears prickling at my eyes, because it felt so good to be able to thank the person responsible for my life change.
And by the end of that weekend, I was fully dedicated to a vegan lifestyle and have never turned back!
I have since stayed in touch with Erica and think what she and her fellow COK'ers are doing is incredible. They have a tiny office and staff in DC - and the budget of a nonproft! - but create such powerful messages. They are doing so much in the fight for animals.
So that's why these ads mean so much to me. They opened my eyes to this cause that I am so passionate about. I hope you check out their website and, if you can, donate to their cause.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Jakers is Scared of Cattle Anyways
I've decided to finally take the final step into my vegan lifestyle -- vegan pet food. This was a big decision that I've gone back and forth on, but I now feel confident to take the plunge. There was a booth at the animal advocacy conference at the U of M that I attended last year (Their Lives, Our Voices) with vegan dog & cat food. So that got me thinking that if I'm making this change, why not have Jakers & Mabel make this change?
However, I mentioned this to both my veterinarian and the owner of a cute little pet food store near my house and both encouraged me NOT to do this. The
ir reasoning was that, naturally, cats and dogs are carnivores. Looking back at their ancestors (tigers, lions, wolves, etc) they are inherently meat eaters, so it would not be beneficial to make my cat & dog into vegans. This totally made sense, and so I decided not to make the change. I couldn't risk the health of my own pets in the name of animal advocacy -- it seemed counter intuitive.
However, every time I'm buying them food, I have a twinge of guilt. There are still animals suffering and being slaughtered for their food, just as for human food. So I would buy seafood varieties, trying to feel less guilty (not that it's OK to kill fish!)...but there was still that twinge of guilt in my stomach.
After talking the whole thing over with a friend of mine (Erica Meier...she's the Executive Director of an amazing animal advocacy group called Compassion Over Killing), I am totally on board the vegan train. She pointed out to me that NOTHING about my cat and dogs life is natural. Its not natural to keep them inside of a condo for their whole lives. It's not natural to feed them in little serving dishes. It's not natural to feed them beef and pork and chicken (in the wild, they would be catching rats and mice and little song birds). It's not natural to spay and neuter them. Nothing about domesticated animals is natural, when compared to their ancestors. So why is this any different?
What it comes down to is being sure they are getting the nutrients, carbs and fats that they require out of their food. Cats need taurine -- and just like how humans can get protein elsewhere -- cat food can have taurine supplements.
So while I am already able to see this is going to be an expensive change (keeping in mind, I already give my pets the top-of-the-line, costly food), it's one that is totally worth it. Less animal suffering and my pets continue to be well-fed and healthy!
However, I mentioned this to both my veterinarian and the owner of a cute little pet food store near my house and both encouraged me NOT to do this. The
ir reasoning was that, naturally, cats and dogs are carnivores. Looking back at their ancestors (tigers, lions, wolves, etc) they are inherently meat eaters, so it would not be beneficial to make my cat & dog into vegans. This totally made sense, and so I decided not to make the change. I couldn't risk the health of my own pets in the name of animal advocacy -- it seemed counter intuitive.However, every time I'm buying them food, I have a twinge of guilt. There are still animals suffering and being slaughtered for their food, just as for human food. So I would buy seafood varieties, trying to feel less guilty (not that it's OK to kill fish!)...but there was still that twinge of guilt in my stomach.
After talking the whole thing over with a friend of mine (Erica Meier...she's the Executive Director of an amazing animal advocacy group called Compassion Over Killing), I am totally on board the vegan train. She pointed out to me that NOTHING about my cat and dogs life is natural. Its not natural to keep them inside of a condo for their whole lives. It's not natural to feed them in little serving dishes. It's not natural to feed them beef and pork and chicken (in the wild, they would be catching rats and mice and little song birds). It's not natural to spay and neuter them. Nothing about domesticated animals is natural, when compared to their ancestors. So why is this any different?
What it comes down to is being sure they are getting the nutrients, carbs and fats that they require out of their food. Cats need taurine -- and just like how humans can get protein elsewhere -- cat food can have taurine supplements.
So while I am already able to see this is going to be an expensive change (keeping in mind, I already give my pets the top-of-the-line, costly food), it's one that is totally worth it. Less animal suffering and my pets continue to be well-fed and healthy!
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